Conservatory Restaurant, The

Taking its name from the black Hamburg grapes which suspend seductively above you as you dine in the Conservatory restaurant, the Grapevine is well sited in the centre of the town that styles itself 'the antiques centre of the Cotswolds'. So after a hard day's bargaining you may be more than usually ready for a little tender culinary care, where cheerful staff and agreeable surroundings smooth your cares away.

A smoked duck and fig salad with truffle dressing leads off a selection of attractive starters that include a terrine of foie gras and confit duck, Thai spiced beetroot soup and that sturdy favourite a Caesar salad with anchovies, smoked chicken and parmesan. The roast monkfish with confit cabbage and wild mushrooms creates a good flavour-mix, and pan-fried calves liver with crispy bacon and mashed potato are hardy favourites, though not always prepared quite as carefully as these are at the Grapevine. In the pudding department the simple chocolate and honey brulee served with coconut ice cream sets a high standard on which to complete an enjoyable meal before beginning to worry again about that antique chaise longue you 'invested' in earlier during a carefree moment.